Learning Design Summit: Highlights from GOA's Summer Convening

What happens when you bring 90 educators together to explore and design in a beautiful place? Our Learning Design Summit convened educators from across the world on Bainbridge Island. The schedule included three jam packed days of keynote speakers, workshops, coaching, and some independent work time to design projects and courses.

Participants designed modern learning practices that are directly transferable to their work with students and grew a global network of colleagues along the way!

The Learning Design Summit included a mix of GOA faculty and professional learning participants. Each person had their own coach, with many of GOA’s Learning Design Coaches serving in the instructional coach role. We also welcomed keynote speakers Madeleine Hewitt and Bridget Doogan from the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), Stephen J. Valentine from Montclair Kimberley Academy, and Kevin Mattingly from Teachers College at Columbia University and Riverdale Country School. Workshops covered topics like assessment that promotes durable learning, feedback that drives learning, learner-centered environments, and data-driven decision making.

We believe educators are learning architects designing learning experiences for and with students, whether they are online or in person. The event culminated with all participants sharing their work in a Gallery Walk in the afternoon of the last day.

Summit Quotes

Here’s what participants said about the event.

“The learning summit is perfectly designed to help you explore your ideas or passions. The coaching aspect helps you narrow in on a few tangible things to create, share and implement into practice. The feedback from colleagues helps elevate your ideas and keeps you constantly reflecting on your work. So many great takeaways from the gallery walk close up this learning design summit, leaving you with a hundred more ideas to try.” Jade Connor, Rundle College

“It was beyond amazing. Best professional development I’ve ever been a part of!” Neely Gutierrez, Providence Day School

“My advisory (and the relationship I developed with my coach) was a real highlight of my time. The flexible time allowed me to work at my own pace and to make good connections with other folks. This was a very well-designed learning experience that embodied the values GOA supports.” Andy Housiaux, Phillips Academy

“The highly intentional use of time throughout the week and my excellent coach and group were very beneficial to my work. The choice to have us focus our work on one concrete take-home innovation in our pedagogy was very useful as well, and I gained from my independent work time.” Thaddeus Lisowski, Head-Royce School

“The one on one time with the coaches allowed for me to have something tangible and solid to leave with which I did not anticipate happening. The science behind learning material really opened up a new horizon for me in my teaching pedagogy. I leave with a sense of belonging to a great community and a higher purpose.” Joanna Tutinji, King’s Academy

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